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COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKEMARK SQUILLA, DISTRICT
1KENYATTA JOHNSON, DISTRICT 2JANNIE BLACKWELL, DISTRICT 3CURTIS
JONES, JR., DISTRICT 4BOBBY HENON, DISTRICT 6MARIA D.
QUIÑONES-SÁNCHEZ, DISTRICT 7CINDY BASS, DISTRICT 8CHERELLE PARKER,
DISTRICT 9
BRIAN J. O’NEILL, DISTRICT 10 LONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN,
AT-LARGEALLAN DOMB, AT-LARGEDEREK GREEN, AT-LARGEWILLIAM K.
GREENLEE, AT-LARGEHELEN GYM, AT-LARGEDAVID OH, AT-LARGEAL
TAUBENBERGER, AT-LARGE
June 7, 2016
Council President, Darrell L ClarkeCity Council of
PhiladelphiaCity Hall, Room 313Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290
Dear Council President Clarke,
We, the following pro-growth, pro-job, free-market advocates are
asking you to
oppose Mayor Jim Kenney’s plan to impose a 3 cents -per-ounce
tax on more than1,000 beverages —the Philly Grocery Tax. The
proposed Philadelphia-only tax will—as former Governor Ed Rendell
made clear—unfairly hurt the city’s poorestresidents while its
wealthiest citizens will be able to avoid the tax altogether.
Lower income families and individuals may not have access to
larger supermarketsthat offer a wider variety of less expensive
options. Or they may not own cars thatallow them to travel outside
the city for their grocery shopping. Or they may nothave access to
safe, reliable public transportation.
The Grocery Tax will rob many families and individuals of
precious dollars from theirhousehold budgets. Fewer jobs and less
income will mean many parents will spendless time with their
children. Keeping children from their parents and families
—theirfirst, best teachers —ironically undermines what the Mayor
hopes to achievethrough universal pre-K.
Families and children will suffer under the Kenney tax, as will
single adults andyoung people living paycheck to paycheck. Jobs
will flee, wages will stagnate, andPhilly’s poorest residents will
suffer the most.
A tax on beverages is fundamentally unfair in two respects.
First, such a tax is regressive, betraying the principle of tax
fairness. MayorKenney’s tax will disproportionately harm low
-income individuals, as theyspend a larger portion of their income
on consumer goods like soda, andmay not have the means to travel
outside the city to shop.
Second, Mayor Kenney’s tax is arbitrary. There are many types of
goods andservices that could have been Mayor Kenney’s target, but
the Mayor is
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specifically targeting sugary beverages. Arbitrary taxation
creates economicuncertainty, hurting job growth and wage
increases.
Good tax policy should be pro-growth, simple, and fair. Mayor
Kenney’s proposedGrocery Tax is none of these things.
The Mayor’s tax will hurt Philly’s poorest residents by driving
up grocery bills andforcing businesses and jobs to flee
Philadelphia for the suburbs.
This unfair, unsustainable tax should be defeated. Our hope is
that the PhiladelphiaCity Council will reject Mayor Kenney’s
Grocery Tax.
Thank you,
Grover Norquist – President, Americans for Tax ReformJulie
Gunlock – Senior Fellow, Independent Women’s Voice
Matt Brouillette – President, Commonwealth FoundationPete Sepp –
President, National Taxpayers UnionTom Giovanetti – President,
Institute for Policy InnovationGreg Conko – Executive Director,
Competitive Enterprise InstituteDavid Williams – President,
Taxpayers Protection AllianceAndrew Langer – President, Institute
for LibertyGeorge Landrith – President, Frontiers of FreedomPhil
Kerpen – President, American CommitmentColin A. Hanna – President,
Let Freedom RingThomas Schatz – President, Citizens Against
Government WasteJerry Rogers – President, Capitol AlliesDeroy
Murdock – National Review Online
